Today we’d like to introduce you to Hunter Blalock.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was raised in rural Northwest Georgia with not much around but a gas station, farmland, & the family business. Even with all the respect I had for the blue-collar life that had been planned out for me, I always felt a strong draw to art & music from an early age. After high school and a failed attempt at the local college, I dropped out & started my path in music. It’s been a long bumpy road from then to now as most musician’s first years are. For years I ran around fronting a rock n roll band hoping to catch a break somewhere along the way. Year after year, bar after bar the break didn’t come. The band I had spent years putting together and using as the vehicle to my success fell apart. I had no band, no direction, & a choice to make. At this crossroads, I could either hang it up and quit or find another way to chase my dream. I chose to find a way. I had a handful of folk songs I had been writing and an intensified passion for what I was trying to do. I decided to implement the blue collar mentality I’ve been a witness to all my life. Nothing is more effective than hard work, so I went to work. I bought a van, booked any & every show I could and haven’t looked back since. With the help of two like-minded bandmates, I self-released a live EP, booked my own tours, designed my own merch, and built my own website. Rather than hoping I caught a break, I have took the independent route building it fan by fan, one handshake at a time. I feel like this approach is at times the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but also the most fulfilling.
I am a long way from where I desire to go, but one things for certain. My head will be down and I will be working hard as ever.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been an easy road as a completely independent songwriter, but nothing worth having ever came easy. It’s been a learn as you go process for me but it’s been well worth it. There have been many struggles. Starting over from scratch after putting all my bets on one thing was a huge challenge. Right as you feel like you have a little momentum, the pandemic rolls around. Canceled tours and continuous van payments were the themes of those days. Here we are on the other side of all of it and I feel primed up and ready for more work.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a songwriter. First and foremost. I pride myself on writing the most honest songs I possibly can.
I write songs that come from a real place, about real people and real experiences. Though every song is not an autobiography, they all have small pieces of my life and myself in each of them. I try to make music that can be related to the music you can find yourself in. I want to make people feel things. I think in today’s world, so many people are afraid of certain subjects, stories, or imperfections in itself. I want to make music that represents the real side of life. The one without a filter.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Words starting to get out, but I also enjoy drawing cartoons. I have started an Instagram page I run my cartoon work through called “Peach Fuzz Cartoonz”. I have done work for local bands and national touring bands as well. My art was most recently found in the animated music video for country music singer Tyler Childers for his song “Country Squire”, animated by Tony Moore.
Contact Info:
- Email: hunterblalockbooking@gmail.com
- Website: www.hunterblalockmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunterwblalock/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/hunterblalockofficial/
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/hunterblalock72
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnk536cZgqaagNsdz0xe9SQ
Image Credits:
Just a Fan Photography Candi Blalock Photography
